Roaring Run Recreation Area

A Profile in Environmental Restoration: Roaring Run Recreation Area

“I recognized the potential impact to the quality of life and economic revitalization of Apollo that Roaring Run could offer about 15 years ago. I came out to help with a litter clean-up in 1992 and have been involved with the RRWA ever since. It is a beautiful place and I get much enjoyment and satisfaction from seeing the huge success it is today. Hiking at Roaring Run is awesome! One mile from my home and it feels like I’m a thousand miles away!”

Years of unregulated coal mining and lumbering practices not only scarred the land that now makes up the Roaring Run Recreation Area but also contributed to the decline of water quality in the Kiskiminetas River. Nearly 700 acres outside of the town of Apollo had become a dumping ground for unwanted refuse, further contributing to the decline of the area.

Goals

In 1983, the Roaring Run Watershed Association adopted a mission to conserve and protect the Roaring Run Watershed and to provide recreational opportunities for all. The RRWA targeted the acquisition and preservation of degraded land surrounding Roaring Run and the development of hiking and biking trails throughout the property.

Success

Today, RRWA sponsors events that invite community members to experience the connection between environmental restoration and outdoor recreation, including fishing tournaments—an inconceivable notion for the generations of people who lived along the Kiskiminetas when it was literally a dead river supporting no aquatic life.

Over the years, RRWA has successfully implemented two land restoration projects that cleared decades-old mining waste, and instituted a number of litter and refuse clean-up projects, preserving and restoring 652 acres of environmentally damaged land to pristine woodlands. They have created 4 miles of ADA accessible rail-trail, another 2.5 miles of hilly rail-type trail, and more than 15miles of mountain biking and hiking trails. The area offers picnic facilities, a canoe and kayak launch and 100 parking spaces which are filled nearly every weekend during trail season.